Echoing of the Elders: Teachings for Coast Salish Youth introduces the voices of traditionally trained Elders, Chiefs and youth in and around the Greater Victoria area. In many Salish communities the relationship between the young people and the Elders has eroded and it is time to echo the teachings of the old people, our ancestors. Echoing of the Elders offers a way of transforming those changes in directions that foster and encourage a flow of teachings to the youth, while honouring the teachers—the Elders—in a good way. These voices speak about ways of being, the relationship to the land, of creation, the beliefs and customs related to balance. Ultimately they speak about belonging and healing.
For many Aboriginal youth, it can be a daunting experience to walk between the worlds of the ancestors and the secular world of “individual identity”. Echoing of the Elders seeks to transform the feelings of disconnection and displacement often felt by young people and place them in the context of the people’s strong beliefs for each other.
(2000, 42 minutes)
Directed by Dale Hildebrand
Produced by Dr. Philip Cook, Bill White - Xelimuxw/Kasalid (Coast Salish), and Dr. Natasha Blanchet-Cohen
To view this video, click here.
